Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

If Fireworks 2 can do it, you can do it too... With state-of-the-art vector drawing tools and pixel-based image editing -- plus a Web export engine with JavaScript and HTML output -- Fireworks 2 is the ultimate Web graphics tool. And the Fireworks® 2 Bible is your ultimate guide to this complex software package. Author Joseph Lowery, a professional Web developer, shows you step-by-step how to harness and customize Fireworks -- and create eye-popping art for the Web. Packed with illustrations, this in-depth reference also includes dozens of real-world examples to help you master advanced skills such as animations, masking, rollovers, and tweening. Inside, you'll find complete coverage of Fireworks 2 Save time with Styles, Batch Processing, and Symbols Bridge between images and HTML to create image maps, slides, and rollovers Import graphics and text easily -- including Photoshop, Illustrator, and FreeHand formats Optimize images -- for the highest quality in the smallest file size -- with Export Preview Create spectacular effects like Inner Bevel, Drop Shadow, and Glow with Live Effects Link your graphics seamlessly with the URL Manager Master the improved graphics tools, such as the Path Combine commands Union, Intersection, and Punch Integrate Fireworks output with Dreamweaver and Flash Valuable CD-ROM Included! Fully functioning trial versions of Fireworks 2, Dreamweaver 2, and Flash 4 Built-in library of graphics, textures, Xtras, and gradients Pantone ColorWeb Pro demonstration version Alien Skin's Eye Candy 3.01, and Xenofex 1.0 Shareware programs are fully functional, free trial versions of copyrighted programs. If you like particular programs, register with their authors for a nominal fee and receive licenses, enhanced versions, and technical support. Freeware programs are free, copyrighted games, applications, and utilities. You can copy them to as many PCs as you like--free--but they have no technical support. www.idgbooks.com System Requirements: Pentium 133 with VGA display card, or PowerPC processor or faster with System 7.x; 32MB RAM; 100MB hard disk space; CD-ROM drive

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Foreword (p. ix)
• Preface (p. xi)
• Acknowledgments (p. xix)
• Part I Come See the Fireworks (p. 1)
• Chapter 1 Welcome to Fireworks (p. 3)
• The New Generation of Web Graphic Tools (p. 4)
• Of Pixels and Paths: The Best of Both Worlds (p. 5)
• Vector tools with organic bitmaps (p. 6)
• Bitmap compatibility (p. 7)
• Live effects (p. 8)
• Styles (p. 9)
• Animation (p. 9)
• Linking to the Web (p. 10)
• Hotspots and slices (p. 10)
• Images with behaviors (p. 11)
• Optimizing for the Web (p. 12)
• Dreamweaver integration (p. 13)
• Production Tools (p. 13)
• URL Manager (p. 13)
• Batch processing (p. 14)
• What's New in Fireworks 2 (p. 15)
• User interface (p. 15)
• Graphic creation (p. 16)
• Web connectivity (p. 17)
• Chapter 2 Understanding the Interface (p. 21)
• Navigating the Drawing Area (p. 22)
• Accessing Toolbars (p. 24)
• Opening the Toolbox (p. 24)
• View controls (p. 27)
• Main toolbar (Windows only) (p. 31)
• Modify toolbar (Windows only) (p. 32)
• Status bar (Windows only) (p. 34)
• Managing the Floating Panels (p. 34)
• Grouping and moving panels (p. 35)
• Hiding and revealing panels (p. 36)
• Examining common features (p. 36)
• Object inspector (p. 38)
• Stroke panel (p. 40)
• Fill panel (p. 41)
• Effects panel (p. 43)
• Info panel (p. 44)
• Tool options panel (p. 45)
• Color mixer (p. 46)
• Swatches panel (p. 47)
• Layers panel (p. 48)
• Frames panel (p. 50)
• Styles panel (p. 51)
• Behaviors inspector (p. 52)
• URL Manager (p. 53)
• Find and Replace panel (p. 55)
• Project log (p. 56)
• Using the Menus (p. 57)
• File menu (p. 57)
• Edit menu (p. 60)
• View menu (p. 61)
• Insert menu (p. 63)
• Modify menu (p. 64)
• Text menu (p. 69)
• Xtras (p. 71)
• Window menu (p. 72)
• Help menu (Windows only) (p. 74)
• Chapter 3 Customizing Your Environment (p. 79)
• Setting Preferences (p. 79)
• General preferences (p. 80)
• Editing preferences (p. 82)
• Folder preferences (p. 85)
• Adjusting a Document's Properties (p. 86)
• Slicing an image (p. 87)
• Using image map options (p. 90)
• Selecting Print Options (p. 91)
• Creating New Pages (p. 93)
• Opening Multiple Images (p. 99)
• Storing Files (p. 101)
• Reverting to a saved file (p. 103)
• Modifying Canvases (p. 103)
• Altering the canvas size only (p. 106)
• Picking a new canvas color (p. 109)
• Chapter 4 Setting Up Documents (p. 93)
• Creating New Pages (p. 93)
• Width and height (p. 94)
• Resolution (p. 94)
• Canvas color (p. 95)
• Opening Existing Images (p. 97)
• Opening Multiple Images (p. 99)
• Storing Files (p. 101)
• Closing a file (p. 102)
• Reverting to a saved file (p. 103)
• Modifying Canvases (p. 103)
• Changing image and canvas size (p. 103)
• Altering the canvas size only (p. 106)
• Picking a new canvas color (p. 109)
• Part II Mastering the Tools (p. 111)
• Chapter 5 Creating and Transforming Objects (p. 113)
• Understanding Objects in Fireworks (p. 113)
• Examining Paths (p. 114)
• Applying a stroke (p. 114)
• Open and closed paths (p. 116)
• Center point (p. 116)
• Direction (p. 117)
• Starting from Shapes (p. 117)
• Rectangles and squares (p. 118)
• Ellipses and circles (p. 120)
• Polygons and stars (p. 122)
• Drawing Lines and Freeform Paths (p. 126)
• Straight lines (p. 126)
• Freeform Pencil and Brush (p. 127)
• Constructing Bezier Curves (p. 130)
• Drawing lines with the Pen (p. 131)
• Creating smooth curves with the Pen (p. 132)
• Mixing lines and curves (p. 132)
• Adjusting curves (p. 133)
• Using the keyboard modifiers (p. 135)
• Chapter 6 Working with Images (p. 137)
• Understanding Bitmapped Images in Fireworks (p. 137)
• Examining Image Edit Mode (p. 138)
• Starting Image Edit mode (p. 138)
• Leaving Image Edit mode (p. 140)
• Examining other Image Mode functions (p. 140)
• Opening existing images (p. 141)
• Inserting an Image into a Document (p. 142)
• Inserting an Empty Image (p. 143)
• Using Image Edit Mode Tools (p. 143)
• Pointer (p. 144)
• Marquee (p. 145)
• Lasso and Polygon Lasso (p. 148)
• Magic Wand (p. 150)
• Rubber Stamp (p. 153)
• Eraser (p. 155)
• Fireworks Technique: Limiting Your Drawing Area (p. 156)
• Selecting Images (p. 157)
• Selecting all (p. 157)
• Selecting none (p. 157)
• Selecting inverse (p. 157)
• Feathering an existing selection (p. 158)
• Selecting similar (p. 159)
• Applying Object Tools to Images (p. 159)
• Converting an Object to an Image (p. 160)
• Chapter 7 Managing Color (p. 163)
• Working with Color on the Web (p. 163)
• Bit depth (p. 164)
• Hexadecimal colors (p. 165)
• Web-safe colors (p. 166)
• Platform differences (p. 166)
• Mixing Colors (p. 167)
• Using the Color Mixer (p. 167)
• Choosing a color (p. 168)
• Accessing the color models (p. 169)
• Selecting Swatches of Color (p. 172)
• Choosing from the color wells (p. 173)
• Using the Swatches panel (p. 175)
• Fireworks Technique: Converting Pantone Colors to Web-Safe Colors (p. 179)
• Chapter 8 Choosing Strokes (p. 183)
• Using the Stroke Panel (p. 183)
• Stroke categories and types (p. 185)
• Stroke edge and size (p. 186)
• Stroke texture (p. 186)
• Working with the Built-in Strokes (p. 188)
• Pencil (p. 188)
• Basic (p. 189)
• Airbrush (p. 190)
• Calligraphy (p. 190)
• Charcoal (p. 191)
• Crayon (p. 192)
• Felt Tip (p. 193)
• Oil (p. 194)
• Watercolor (p. 195)
• Random (p. 196)
• Unnatural (p. 197)
• Creating New Strokes (p. 198)
• Managing your strokes (p. 198)
• Editing the stroke (p. 201)
• Fireworks Technique: Making Dotted Lines (p. 210)
• Orienting the Stroke (p. 212)
• Using Pressure-Sensitive Tablets (p. 213)
• Chapter 9 Structuring Paths (p. 215)
• Transforming Objects Visually (p. 216)
• Scaling (p. 216)
• Changing scaling options (p. 218)
• Skewing (p. 219)
• Distorting (p. 220)
• Rotating (p. 221)
• Transforming Objects Numerically (p. 223)
• Fireworks Technique: Creating Perspective (p. 224)
• Altering the opacity (p. 226)
• Using Mask Groups (p. 226)
• Managing Points and Paths (p. 228)
• Moving points with the Subselection tool (p. 228)
• Adding and removing points (p. 229)
• Closing an open path (p. 230)
• Working with multiple paths (p. 231)
• Editing Paths (p. 232)
• Redrawing a path (p. 232)
• Freeform and Reshape Area (p. 233)
• Path Scrubber (p. 237)
• Knife (p. 238)
• Path Operations (p. 240)
• Union (p. 240)
• Intersect (p. 241)
• Punch (p. 242)
• Crop (p. 242)
• Simplify (p. 242)
• Expand Stroke (p. 243)
• Inset path (p. 245)
• Chapter 10 Composing with Text (p. 247)
• Using the Text Editor (p. 247)
• Previewing on the fly (p. 249)
• Choosing basic font characteristics (p. 250)
• Adjusting text spacing (p. 252)
• Aligning Text (p. 254)
• Enabling Text Editor options (p. 256)
• Re-Editing Text (p. 257)
• Importing Text (p. 257)
• Transforming Text (p. 259)
• Adding strokes (p. 259)
• Enhancing fills (p. 260)
• Using the transform tools (p. 262)
• Converting text to paths (p. 263)
• Text on a Path (p. 265)
• Fireworks Technique: Masking Images with Text (p. 268)
• Part III Achieving Effects (p. 271)
• Chapter 11 Fills and Textures (p. 273)
• Using Built-in Fills (p. 273)
• Turning off an object's fill (p. 274)
• Solid (p. 275)
• Web Dither (p. 276)
• Managing Gradients (p. 278)
• Applying a Gradient fill (p. 278)
• Altering gradients (p. 280)
• Saving and renaming (p. 283)
• Using the Styles feature (p. 284)
• Fireworks Technique: Making Transparent Gradients (p. 285)
• Using Patterns (p. 286)
• Adding new patterns (p. 287)
• Altering patterns (p. 289)
• Fireworks Technique: Creating Seamless Patterns (p. 290)
• Adding Texture to Your Fills (p. 294)
• Adding new textures (p. 296)
• Assigning an additional Textures folder (p. 297)
• Filling with the Paint Bucket (p. 298)
• Chapter 12 Live Effects (p. 301)
• Working with Predesigned Effects (p. 301)
• Inner and Outer Bevel (p. 303)
• Drop Shadows (p. 306)
• Emboss (p. 310)
• Glow (p. 311)
• Fireworks Technique: Making Perspective Shadows (p. 312)
• Applying Multiple Effects (p. 315)
• Managing Live Effects (p. 317)
• Storing a customized effect (p. 318)
• Using the effect in another document (p. 318)
• Using the Styles ffeature (p. 319)
• Chapter 13 Arranging and Compositing Objects (p. 321)
• Using Layers (p. 321)
• Working with layers (p. 322)
• Hiding selected objects (p. 325)
• Aligning and Distributing Objects (p. 326)
• Getting Layout Assistance (p. 329)
• Using rulers (p. 329)
• Working with guides (p. 331)
• The grid (p. 334)
• Grouping Objects (p. 336)
• Subselecting and superselecting (p. 336)
• Mask groups (p. 337)
• Fireworks technique: quick photo edges (p. 341)
• Opacity and Blending (p. 344)
• Controlling opacity (p. 344)
• Using blending modes (p. 345)
• The modes themselves (p. 346)
• Fireworks technique: copy, paste, and blend (p. 348)
• Chapter 14 Xtras and Filters (p. 353)
• Apply an Xtra to... What? (p. 353)
• Path objects (p. 354)
• Image objects (p. 355)
• Pixel selections in an image object (p. 355)
• False pixel selections (p. 355)
• Multiple objects (p. 356)
• Xtras That Aren't Extras (p. 357)
• Sharpening to bring out detail (p. 358)
• Adding depth with blurring (p. 359)
• Working with the PhotoOptics Filters (p. 361)
• Saving PhotoOptics settings (p. 363)
• Color correction (p. 363)
• Fireworks Technique: The Fireworks Photocopier (p. 366)
• Using Photoshop-Compatible Filters (p. 368)
• Installing third-party filter packages (p. 368)
• Using filters with multiple applications (p. 370)
• Alien Skin Eye Candy 3.0 (p. 371)
• MetaCreations Kai's Power Tools 5 (p. 376)
• Part IV Coordinating Workflow (p. 383)
• Chapter 15 Scanning and Importing (p. 385)
• Scanning and Resolution Basics (p. 385)
• Fireworks, Meet Scanner (p. 387)
• TWAIN-compliant devices (p. 388)
• Installing Photoshop Acquire plug-ins (Macintosh) (p. 389)
• The Scanning Process (p. 389)
• Selecting a scan resolution (p. 389)
• Choosing a color depth (p. 391)
• Setting other options (p. 392)
• Inserting Objects from Other Applications (p. 393)
• Copy and paste (p. 393)
• Drag and drop (p. 394)
• Importing External Files (p. 395)
• Bitmap image files (p. 396)
• Vector art files (p. 398)
• Importing Text (p. 400)
• Opening Animations (p. 401)
• Importing multiple files as a new animation (p. 401)
• Importing Flash animations (p. 403)
• Chapter 16 Exporting and Optimizing (p. 407)
• Exporting for the Web (p. 407)
• Working with Export Preview (p. 408)
• Previewing (p. 410)
• Panning (p. 411)
• Cropping (p. 411)
• Zooming (p. 412)
• Multiple windows (p. 413)
• Frame controls (p. 415)
• Export formats and palettes (p. 416)
• Scaling and cropping exported images (p. 429)
• Export Color Options (p. 432)
• Sort by Popularity (p. 433)
• Matte (p. 434)
• Using the Export Wizards (p. 436)
• Additional Export Options (p. 438)
• Exporting files (p. 439)
• Exporting as CSS layers (p. 440)
• Exporting as Image Wells (p. 443)
• Exporting single slices (p. 444)
• Exporting Again (p. 445)
• Chapter 17 Working with Fireworks Styles (p. 447)
• Understanding Styles (p. 448)
• Applying Styles (p. 449)
• Creating New Styles (p. 450)
• Managing Styles (p. 452)
• Fireworks Technique: Isolating Patterns and Textures from Styles (p. 454)
• Chapter 18 Updating and Maintaining Web Graphics (p. 457)
• Preview in Browser (p. 458)
• Managing Links with the URL Manager (p. 460)
• Accessing the URL History list (p. 461)
• Adding URLs to the URL Library (p. 462)
• Managing URL Libraries (p. 464)
• Updating Graphics with Find and Replace (p. 466)
• Searching and replacing text (p. 469)
• Searching with regular expressions (p. 470)
• Altering font characteristics (p. 474)
• Changing colors throughout a site (p. 475)
• Updating URLs (p. 476)
• Working with the Project Log (p. 478)
• Batch Processing Graphics Files (p. 479)
• Basic procedure (p. 480)
• Running Scriptlets (p. 482)
• Part V Entering the Web (p. 485)
• Chapter 19 Mastering Image Maps and Slices (p. 487)
• Understanding Image Maps and Hotspots (p. 487)
• Using the Hotspot Tools (p. 489)
• Rectangular hotspot (p. 491)
• Oval hotspot (p. 491)
• Polygon hotspot (p. 492)
• Assigning links to hotspots (p. 493)
• Converting an object to a hotspot (p. 495)
• Exporting Image Map Code (p. 496)
• Choosing an HTML style (p. 496)
• Inserting image map code in a Web page (p. 498)
• Understanding Slices (p. 504)
• Slicing Images in Fireworks (p. 505)
• Working with slice guides (p. 507)
• Copying an image to a slice (p. 508)
• Setting URLs in slices (p. 508)
• Exporting Slices (p. 512)
• Setting the Export options (p. 513)
• Inserting slices in a Web page (p. 514)
• Fireworks Technique: Animating a Slice (p. 516)
• Chapter 20 Activating Fireworks with Behaviors (p. 521)
• Understanding Behaviors (p. 521)
• Using the Behaviors Panel (p. 522)
• Adding new Behaviors (p. 523)
• Modifying a Behavior (p. 524)
• Deleting a Behavior (p. 524)
• Creating Rollovers (p. 525)
• How rollovers work (p. 525)
• Rollover states (p. 526)
• Creating rollover images (p. 526)
• Applying the Simple Rollover Behavior (p. 528)
• Exporting Rollovers for the Web (p. 529)
• Exporting the code from Fireworks (p. 531)
• Inserting rollover code in your Web page (p. 532)
• Advanced Rollover Techniques (p. 535)
• Making disjointed rollovers (p. 535)
• Creating external rollovers (p. 536)
• Working with hotspot rollovers (p. 537)
• Toggle groups (p. 538)
• Displaying a Status Message (p. 540)
• Chapter 21 Customizing Fireworks (p. 543)
• Understanding the HTML and JavaScript Engine (p. 543)
• Adding New Templates (p. 544)
• Customizing HTML and JavaScript Output (p. 545)
• Fireworks Extensions (p. 546)
• Global Methods (p. 547)
• Alert(message) (p. 547)
• Confirm(message) (p. 548)
• Prompt(caption, text) (p. 548)
• Write_HTML(arg1[, arg2, .... argN]) (p. 549)
• Write(arg1[, arg2, .... argN]) (p. 549)
• Global Objects (p. 549)
• App (p. 550)
• Document (p. 565)
• Find (p. 572)
• Files (p. 572)
• Errors (p. 577)
• Hotspot Objects (p. 579)
• ExportDoc (p. 579)
• Imagemap (p. 581)
• Behaviors (p. 582)
• Slices Object (p. 584)
• Static properties (p. 585)
• Instance properties (p. 585)
• Methods (p. 587)
• Developing Scriptlets (p. 588)
• Chapter 22 Integration with Dreamweaver (p. 591)
• Integration Overview (p. 591)
• Optimizing Images with Fireworks (p. 594)
• Editing Images with Fireworks (p. 596)
• Exporting Dreamweaver Code (p. 597)
• Working with Dreamweaver Libraries (p. 598)
• Fireworks technique: adding CSS layersto Dreamweaver (p. 601)
• Using Fireworks Behaviors in Dreamweaver (p. 603)
• Part VI Animation (p. 607)
• Chapter 23 Basic Animation Techniques (p. 609)
• Understanding Web Animation (p. 609)
• Bandwidth, bandwidth, bandwidth (p. 610)
• Making a statement (p. 610)
• Why animate a GIF? (p. 611)
• The Fireworks Animation Toolkit (p. 613)
• Managing frames (p. 613)
• Animating objects (p. 617)
• Using Onion Skinning (p. 620)
• Using the VCR controls (p. 622)
• Export settings and options (p. 622)
• Web Design with Animated GIF Images (p. 626)
• Animated background images (p. 626)
• Reusing animations (p. 627)
• Scaling an animation (p. 627)
• Using the browser's background image (p. 627)
• Preload an animation (p. 627)
• Animated rollovers (p. 628)
• Slice up animations (p. 629)
• Fireworks Technique: Creating Banner Ads (p. 629)
• Step 1 Set the stage (p. 630)
• Step 2 Write the script (p. 631)
• Step 3 Create the cast of characters (p. 632)
• Step 4 Direct the action (p. 633)
• Step 5 Leave the excess on the cutting-room floor (p. 637)
• Chapter 24 Working with Symbols and Instances (p. 639)
• Understanding Symbols and Instances (p. 639)
• Creating Symbols and Instances (p. 641)
• Creating Symbols (p. 642)
• Creating Instances (p. 642)
• Modifying Linked Objects (p. 643)
• Modifying a Symbol (p. 644)
• Modifying an Instance (p. 645)
• Trick Instance updates (p. 645)
• Managing Symbols and Instances (p. 646)
• Finding linked objects (p. 646)
• Unlinking linked objects (p. 646)
• Deleting linked objects (p. 647)
• Tweening with Fireworks (p. 647)
• Fireworks Technique: Fading In and Out (p. 650)
• Fireworks Technique: Animating Xtras (p. 652)
• Fireworks Technique: Tweening Depth (p. 654)
• Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts (p. 657)
• Appendix B What's on the CD-ROM (p. 677)
• Index (p. 681)
• End-User License Agreement (p. 719)
• CD-ROM Installation Instructions (p. 726)

Author notes provided by Syndetics